This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Gluconolactone and Lactobionic Acid to refine skin texture.
This smoothing night moisturizer is formulated around Gluconolactone and Tranexamic Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-26
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Lactobionic Acid
Buffering
Propanediol
Solvent
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phragmites Karka Extract
Skin ConditioningPoria Cocos Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Heptanoate
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearyl Caprylate
EmollientCetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingLactobionic Acid
Buffering
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Bacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Triethylene Glycol
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Water, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Gluconolactone, Stearyl Heptanoate, Propylene Glycol, Stearyl Caprylate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Tranexamic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Lactobionic Acid, Hexylresorcinol, Bacillus Ferment, Sodium Lactate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Triethylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Linalool, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Gluconolactone is a PHA. PHAs are a great gentle alternative to traditional AHAs.
When applied, Gluconolactone has the same affect on skin as AHAs such as lactic acid. It helps dissolve the dead skin cells in the top layer of your skin. This improves texture and brightens the skin.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. They do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
Gluconolactone has some interesting properties:
In a 2004 study, Gluconolactone was found to prevent UV damage in mouse skin cells and has not been found to increase sun sensitivity. However, we still recommend wearing SPF daily.
This ingredient is is an created by reacting gluconic acid with an alcohol.
Learn more about GluconolactoneGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinLactobionic Acid is a PHA. PHAs are the gentle cousins to AHAS.
Like AHAs, they exfoliate the top layer of skin. Lactobionic acid also exhibits significant antioxidant activity.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. This means they do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
By removing dead skin cells, PHAs leave the skin brighter and with even-texture.
Learn more about Lactobionic AcidPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
